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HRS 183
World Religions and Cultures in Cinema
Spring 2013
Dr. Maria Jaoudi Office: Mendocino 2018 E-mail:
[email protected] Telephone: (916) 278-7483 Office Hours: TR Noon-1:30pm; MW 3:00–5:00pm online; and by appointment
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Course Description
An examination of the religious and spiritual dimensions of selected films from around the world. The cinematic arts are examined in relationship to religious and spiritual concerns, concepts, and values.
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Course Content and Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, students should be able to analyze cultural, spiritual, and religious themes in the global selection of films. Students will examine films by learning to interpret the cinematic elements of character, gender, dialogue, image, mise en scène, lighting, and music. Students will identify and critique religious perceptions in film and interpret the cultural significance of each represented world religion and spiritual theme. In this online learning course students practice reading and study skills and, with assistance from the professor, improve critical thinking and questioning abilities. With face-to-face and online contact with the professor, and with testing, students will be able to interact, understand and integrate the reading, research, and films for the course into a lifetime of intellectual exploration.
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Required Texts Understanding Movies . Louis Giannetti. 11th edition U
Living Religions . Mary Pat Fisher. Exam questions are based on the 7th or 8th editions only. U
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Required Films
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Students are responsible for films assigned. Available to purchase/ rent through Netflix, e.g. A selection of several films for the class is available at the Library Media Center.
Check HRS 183 SacCT for Web Links on Reading and Note-taking Strategies Lecture and Study Guides are available on SacCT on a prearranged schedule for the weeks the film is studied. The Lecture and Study Guides will no longer be accessible after that time. Be sure to make a copy insuring that you will be able to have the material in conjunction with the schedule listed on the syllabus and for each of the exams.
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Recommended Texts Christian Mysticism East & West . Maria Jaoudi Medieval and Renaissance Spirituality . U
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Confucius: The Secular as Sacred . Herbert Fingarette U
Explorations in Theology and Film . Edited by C. Marsh & G. Ortiz U
Film as Religion . John Lyden U
Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of the Dalai Lama . His Holiness the Dalai Lama U
An Autobiography: My Experiments with Truth . Mohandas Gandhi U
Night . Elie Wiesel U
Seeing and Believing: Religion and Values in the Movies . Margaret Miles U
Screening the Sacred: Religion, Myth, and Ideology in American Film . J. Marin & C. Ostwalt, Jr. U
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The Miracle of Mindfulness . Thich Nhat Hanh U
The Story of Film: A Worldwide History . Mark Cousins U
Class Schedule Lecture & Discussion
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Reading Assignments
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Film
Weeks 1 & 2
Seven Years in Tibet Jean-Jacques Annaud
Principle Concepts in the Study of Religion and Film Cinematic Elements of Film Study
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Living Religions , Chapters 1, 5 Understanding Movies , Chapter 1 U
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Week 2 ● Departures
Why a Taboo?
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Yōjirō Takita Week 3 Seasons of Spiritual Maturity
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. . . and Spring Kim Ki-duk
Living Religions , Chapter 5 Recommended reading: The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh Understanding Movies , Chapter 2 U
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Weeks 4 & 5
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Religion as Oppression
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. . . and Spring U
Water Deepa Mehta
Living Religions , Chapter 3 Recommended reading: An Autobiography: My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas Gandhi Understanding Movies , Chapter 3 U
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Weeks 6 & 7
First Exam Wednesday 13 March 12:30am – Thursday 14 March 11:00pm First Exam includes: Living Religions , Chapters 1, 3, and 5 Films Weeks 1-5 U
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After the First Exam: Living Religions , Chapter 6 Understanding Moveies, Chapter 4 U
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Together Chen Kaige
Confucian Values
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● The Curse of the Golden Flower Zhang Yimou U
Living Religions , Chapter 6 Recommended reading: Confucius: The Secular as Sacred by Herbert Fingarette Understanding Movies, Chapter 5 U
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Week 8
Sufism and the Complexities of Love
The Color of Paradise Majid Majidi U
Living Religions , Chapter 10 Medieval and Renaissance Spirituality , especially Chapter 7 Islamic Love Mysticism: Rabi’a and Rumi by Maria Jaoudi U
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The Color of Paradise Majid Majidi
Weeks 9 & 10
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In the Land of Blood and Honey Angelina Jolie U
Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi Shemi Zarhin
A Star is Born
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Living Religions , Chapter 8 Understanding Movies , Chapter 6 U
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Midterm Exam Wednesday 20 March 12:30am – Thursday 21 March 11:00 pm Midterm Exam includes: Living Religions , Chapters 6, 8, and 10 Films Week 6-10 U
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Weeks 11, 12, & 13
Third Exam Wednesday 17 April 12:30am – Thursday 18 April 11pm Third Exam is only on: Understanding Movies, Chapters 1-6 After the Third Exam: Living Religions , Chapter 9 Recommended reading: Night by Elie Weisel; Medieval and Renaissance Spirituality , especially Chapter 6 The Jewish Mystical View: The Kabbalah by Maria Jaoudi Understanding Movies , Chapters 7, 8, 9 U
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The Cost of Miracles
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Ushpizin
Giddi Dar True Stories
●Joyeux Noël Christian Carion
“The law changes, conscience doesn’t”
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days Marc Rothemund
Weeks 14 & 15 “Love never ends”
The Mission Roland Joffe
Living Religions, Chapter 9 Recommended reading: Christian Mysticism East & West Understanding Movies, Chapters 10 & 11 Week 16
Final Exam Wednesday 22 May 12:30am – Thursday 23 May 11:00pm Final Exam includes: Living Religions, Chapter 9 Understanding Movies, Chapters 7 - 11 Films Weeks 11-15
Course Policy for Dr. Jaoudi’s HRS Courses Intellectual exploration is encouraged: The professor is available for additionally scheduled Office Hours for student reflections, discussions, and questions on the reading and film assignments. Students are responsible for reading assignments, lecture materials, exams, and films, depending on the class syllabus.
Reminder: An online class demands even more self-motivation and discipline than a face-to-face class. For example, there is no professor standing in person reminding students about an exam; students have to remind themselves of the details of the class conveyed through the syllabus and SacCT. Because many of us are frequently online, there may be an automatic reflex to peruse written instructions. Therefore, be mindful, the online class is different from browsing the net. Enjoy your studies, and be aware of the fact that student success is determined online primarily by student commitment and circumspection. There are four on-line exams; see the Syllabus Schedule. The exams are not cumulative. For example, exam #2 begins where the previous exam ends. Each on-line exam contains multiple choice and true/false questions based on ideas and vocabulary obtained from notes on lectures, class discussions, hand-outs, reading assignments, and films, depending on the course content. Each exam contains 30-35 questions. Please check your Syllabus on SacCT for the exact on-line exam times and dates.
For one-on-one walk-in and by appointment tutoring help with SacCT, contact the Student Technology Center at
[email protected] /telephone (916) 278-2364/Academic Computing Resources building Room 3007. H
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*****Please read carefully: Students are required to take the Exams in the Student Technology Center insuring assistance with any technology issues. If a student does not take the Exams at STC, he/she takes full responsibility to resolve any technical issues on their own. Do not contact the professor concerning any technological problems, if you did not take the exam in the Student Technology Center. It is the student’s responsibility to remember answers given to the online test questions, in order to benefit from the responses after the exam.
There are no make-up exams; if an exam is not taken, the student is automatically assigned an F grade. Therefore, make sure the exact dates and times of exams are duly noted. There is no extra credit. At no time is it appropriate to ask the professor to increase a grade in order to accommodate an individual desire for a higher GPA without matching grade performance. A student may drop themselves from the class during the official student drop period. After the official drop period ends, any drops, withdrawals, or incompletes, will only be considered for faculty signature, if there is documented evidence of an unforeseen emergency, death, or surgery. Invalid reasons include: Not being able to keep up with the reading, receiving a poor grade on an exam(s), work schedule, moving to an apartment, or going on vacation. Students with disabilities who require special accommodation must provide disability documentation at SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008 (916) 278-6955. Students with special testing needs must provide the appropriate forms at least two weeks prior to an exam in order to schedule with the Testing Center. In HRS 152, HRS 155, and HRS 183, each exam is 1/4 of the grade.
